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Johnson Controls Inc. plans to sell its headliner and sun visor business to an affiliate of Atlas Holdings LLC, a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Conn.

Johnson Controls expects to close the deal by April 30, the supplier said today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Johnson Controls' Automotive Experience business unit, which includes electronics, interiors and seating, is in Plymouth. Its world headquarters is in Milwaukee, as well as its battery and commercial HVAC units.

In a written statement, Johnson Controls said the sale of those two product lines "will improve the overall competitiveness of our interiors business, improve our profitability and enable us to further strengthen and focus on our core interiors business.

JCI’s headliner and visor operations were built from its 1996 acquisition of Holland-based Prince Automotive. The deal more than doubled JCI’s headliner market share in North America from 9 percent to 21 percent, according to a 1996 study by then-CSM Corp.

However, the business struggled with profitability and JCI shareholders had been pushing the supplier to divest its interiors unit for the past few years.

In a January interview with Automotive News, Beda Bolzenius, president of Johnson Controls' seating operation, identified seats and batteries as the company's core automotive units. Bolzenius hinted that the company would make an announcement about its fate later this year.

In July, JCI sold its HomeLink business, which it acquired in the Prince deal, to Zeeland-based Gentex Corp. for $700 million.

JCI also divested its electronics unit by selling it to Van Buren Township-based Visteon Corp. for $265 million in January.

A spokesman for Atlas declined to comment on the matter earlier today. Atlas specializes in investing in distressed companies, and then turning them around.

Crain's Detroit Business reporter Dustin Walsh contributed to this report.